


Coffee Shop Love

by Puns4Funs



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkwardness, But i like him in canon so it's not to hate on him, Fluff, Francis is a douche, I Tried, Little bit of angst, M/M, Past Cheating, Starbucks, Swearing, but not too bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-11-18 20:11:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11297991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puns4Funs/pseuds/Puns4Funs
Summary: Working at Starbucks is incredibly boring, but Arthur can't find work elsewhere. It's near impossible to find work in New York after all. But it  won't be boring for much longer - when a cute guy starts coming to the shop and giving other names than his own, Arthur is left to guess.But will it go well? Or will past realtionships ruin his chances? Will his awkwardness ruin his chances? He'll just have to wait and see...





	1. "A Unicorn Frappuccino For Han Solo!"

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, the summary kinda sucks, but this is my first fanfic, so I didn't really know what to write. I might change it later.
> 
> I wrote this for my best friend, since she's been encouraging me to write fanfiction for so long, and she thought i should post it here as well. I have 5 chapters written and ready, but will likely make more if people are interested.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was a busy day - the shop was filled to the breaking point, and many more were coming inside to get a to-go. Arthur was running around, taking orders for drinks and then making them, as he had been for hours now. WAY too many hours in his opinion. But then again, he thought that any number of hours was too much, so he figured he just had to get used to it. He had to earn money and make a living, after all. There was a limited amount of work in New York, and this job was the only thing Arthur could get.

He had just finished an order when a person came to the counter. Arthur looked up…and almost gasped. In front of the counter stood a tall guy with blonde hair, blue eyes and glasses, which made him look not only handsome but also adorable at the same time. Not that Arthur would ever admit that he thought so. He realized he was staring. Embarrassed, he sputtered “What will it be?”. The Glasses-Guy gave him a smile that made his heart jump, and said “A Unicorn Frappuccino!” with an odd amount of glee. Arthur wrinkled his nose in distaste. He had made dozens of that gods-forsaken Instagram drink today, but he swallowed his disgust, and asked: “Name?”

“Han Solo!” the Glasses-Guy exclaimed and smiled even wider (if that was even possible). Arthur almost rolled his eyes, but he stopped himself. The Glasses-Guy was handsome, but apparently, he didn’t have a personality to match.

“Coming right up” Arthur sighed. He started making the drink, while another employee took over the counter. He finished the drink, wrote the name and went over to yell it out loud.

“A UNICORN FRAPPUCCIONO FOR HAN SOLO!” he yelled, feeling incredibly stupid. _Why the hell would he call himself Han Solo? Jeez_.

The Glasses-Guy went over to him and got his drink.

“Thanks a bunch!” he said to Arthur with a laugh. Their fingers brushed when Glasses-Guy took his drink, and Arthur quickly pulled his hand away, blushing like an idiot.

“N-no problem” he stuttered, facepalming internally. Why couldn’t he answer a cute guy without sounding like an idiot? Nevertheless, the Glasses Guy smiled, and then…left the shop. Of course he would. Why wouldn’t he? Arthur really had to stop his habit of his dreaming running wild. He sighed, and went back to serving the next customer.

When his shift was finally over, he went towards the changing room to get his stuff. Before he got there, though, he was stopped by Kiku. Kiku was a Japanese exchange student, and was working at the Starbucks to make a living. He was mostly reserved, but when Arthur did talk to him, he was quite pleasant.

“What is it, Kiku?” he asked with a bit of edge to his words. It had been a long day after all.

“It’s just that earlier today someone came in - he called himself Han Solo?” Kiku said, and cocked his head to the side. Arthur’s heart leaped to his throat.

“Wh-what about him?”. Damn, he couldn’t even mention him without getting flustered. “It just sort of seemed like you knew each other. Do you?” Kiku answered. That took Arthur by surprise, and thus he said; “We don’t. Why do you ask?”.

Kiku shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a feeling”. Then he walked away, and left Arthur to decipher what the hell Kiku had meant by that.

* * *

The next day, the Glasses-Guy came back. It was less busy since it was Tuesday, and it was 10 o’clock - after the morning rush, but before the lunch rush. Yet despite that, there he was - the guy that made Arthur blush with only a thought. He seriously had to do something about that. Kiku and he were the only ones in the shop, and Kiku was busy with some storage work, so Arthur had to take his order again.

“What will it be?” he asked, and mentally applauded himself for not stuttering.

“Hmmm…” said the Glasses-Guy. Out loud. And he dragged the mmm sound on for at least 15 seconds. Arthur didn’t know if this guy was annoying by nature, or if he was doing this to spite him. From the looks of it, Arthur chose to believe that the first option was the most realistic - or maybe it was his traitorous heart whispering sweet lies to him. He dearly hoped it wasn’t like that, for some reason.

“A caramel Frappuccino!” Glasses-Guy decided, after what had felt like hours to Arthur, but had probably only been seconds. “

Right, coming up. Name?”. Arthur felt a little flicker of hope - maybe he would get his real name today? He was severely disappointed when the Glasses-Guy said “Batman!”. Arthur sighed, and began making the drink. What was this guy’s deal? Was it so hard to just use your own name on a god-damn Starbucks drink? And let Arthur know what his name was? ‘He doesn’t have to give you his name, though’, Arthur reminded himself bitterly.

When the drink was done, Arthur went to call the name, but ‘Batman’ was already there, leaning over the counter and smiling up at Arthur.

“H-here you go” he said, though it felt as though his heart was dancing ballet. But he had managed to said it naturally - right? He hoped he had. 

“Thankya! Oh, um by the way…” the Glasses-Guy started, to which Arthur answered with a confused “Yes?”.

“Do… do you come here often?” Glasses-Guy asked, looking up at him with a shy, sheepish smile. Arthur stared blankly at him. “I work here” he informed him. Glasses-Guy’s eyes widened, and a brief expression of panic passed through his face.

“R-right. I’ll just - I’ll just take my drink” he stammered, blushing as he nearly ran out of the store. It was only later that Arthur realized that Glasses-Guy had been hitting on him, and he facepalmed himself so hard that he had a headache the rest of the week.


	2. “If you haven’t had Starbucks, you haven’t been to America!”

The next day, the Glasses-Guy hadn’t come. Arthur couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though he knew that no person went to Starbucks every goddamn day, though it sometimes seemed so with all the wannabe beauty-vloggers who came in constantly. He sighed. The guy probably had a life outside of going to Starbucks, he thought while unlocking the door to his apartment. He seemed like the type to constantly hang out with his friends and be the star on a sports team. Aka the opposite of Arthur. He was never good at sports, and had left most of his friend behind when he left London to go to New York. Of course, he had friends here as well, but not as close or as many as he had had back home. And his apartment was much smaller than his childhood home. He looked around at his walls, of the photographs and paintings from friends.

A sudden wave of homesickness hit him. A lump formed in his throat, but no tears formed in his eyes. He had already cried all the tears the first month here. But that was almost 3 years ago, and Arthur had grown since then, or so he liked to think.

He had cried more since then, though, but that was a year ago after the incident with Francis. Arthur still shuddered when he thought about it… or just Francis in general. He sighed, mentally scolding himself for thinking about Francis - he had just recently gotten over him, and he wouldn’t allow himself to waste any more time thinking about him.

Instead, he thought of the Glasses-Guy who occupied his thoughts so much, even though he didn’t even know his name, or even him as a person. With him and his glittery smile in mind, Arthur went to bed.

***

A week. That’s how much time passed before Glasses-Guy came again - but this time he was not alone. Beside him walked a guy who slumped his back a bit, but who would probably be taller than Glasses-Guy if he straightened up. They looked a bit alike, though the new guy had lighter hair, and his eyes were more purple than blue. Arthur felt a knot tying in his stomach - were they dating? He served other customers in a haze, until they were the first in line. Arthur put on a forced smile, and asked what they would like.

“Well, it’s my lil’ bro Matthew’s first time here at Starbucks. Got any recommendations?” Glasses-Guy asked. Arthur felt relief wash through his body over the fact that they were not dating - mixed with disbelief.

“You’ve… never been to a Starbucks? Seriously? They’re EVERYWHERE. How in the seven hells have you never been to a Starbucks?” he spouted, before he could think. He regretted it as soon as the last word came out of his mouth. Then immediately stopped regretting it when Glasses-Guy threw his head back and laughed so hard that he startled the girl beside him enough to spill her drink. The guy called Matthew blushed.

“Right?! That’s what I told him to get him here! ‘If you haven’t had Starbucks, you haven’t been to America’ I told him!” Glasses-Guy grinned. Matthew frowned. “If you’re going to lie you can at least-“, “ANYWAY!” Glasses-Guy interrupted, looking slightly panicked, “What would you recommend… Arthur?”. It felt as though he was struck by lightning. His name had never sounded so good said by someone else.

“How do you know my name?” Arthur asked, star-struck. Glasses-Guy raised an eyebrow and pointed to Arthur’s name-badge, making him feel incredibly stupid.

“R-right, of course. I would probably recommend a Vanilla Latte, it’s one of our most popular drinks” he managed to say.

“Then we’ll take two of those! One for Matthew, one for James Bond!” Glasses-Guy responded immediately. Matthew rolled his eyes, and Arthur felt disappointed that he yet again did not learn Glasses-Guy’s real name. “Comin’ right up”, he mumbled, beginning to mix vanilla syrup, milk and espresso to make the drinks. When he called them up, Glasses-Guy almost ran to the counter, Matthew walking behind him at a normal pace. Since Glasses-Guy arrived first, Arthur allowed himself to ask: “How come your brother has never been to a Starbucks?”.

The question lit up Glasses-Guy’s eyes like Christmas lights. “He’s not really a coffee drinker. He prefers hot chocolate” he informed. Arthur didn’t understand why he had gotten so happy over the question, but he kept the conversation going by asking further; “How did you convince him?”.

This made Glasses-Guy’s smile falter a bit, and he changed the subject when Matthew finally came to the counter.

“Took ya long enough! We’ve been waiting for you for an eternity!”. Matthew rolled his eyes over his brother and took his latte.

“Come on, there’s other customers! Ye can’t just stand there and chit-chat all day, ya twat!” a voice boomed. Arthur jumped a bit in surprise - it was the manager of the store, Allister. Arthur gave Glasses-Guy and Matthew a quick apologetic smile, before he yelled back that he was on it.

“Well, we were about to leave anyways. C’mon, Matt!”, said the Glasses-Guy and nearly pulled out an eye-rolling Matthew out of the store - he rolled his eyes a lot. Maybe that was just around his brother though, because he seemed like a nice person in general.

Arthur continued serving customers, and it was getting so busy that he didn’t even have the time to think that he had had a conversation with Glasses-Guy. The thought struck him while he was cleaning the store before they closed - he had actually managed to have a somewhat decent conversation with a cute guy. And it hadn’t felt weird or awkward. Wow. That was certainly unusual for him to do something like that, especially after Francis…

No, he wouldn’t think about Francis, not now that things were looking up, and he maybe - maybe had a chance with another person. He almost didn’t dare hope, but hope he did. And crossed his fingers that it wouldn’t end as had with that _frog_.

As he walked home that evening, he looked up at the sky. There in New York few stars were visible, even at night. That made Arthur miss England, where he and his family would go on vacations out on the countryside and just spend hours sitting outside looking at the stars. He sighed. He had been thinking more about his home than usual the last couple of weeks. Maybe he should pay them a visit during the Holiday season if he could afford it.

Finally, he reached his home and unlocked the door. He went up the stairs all the way up to the fifth floor, and went into his flat. It wasn’t very big, but it was hard to get a home in New York so Arthur didn’t complain. He was getting exhausted, so he decided just to go to bed without brushing teeth. After all, he was an adult and could totally take care of himself. Or something.


	3. “Do you always stare at baristas, or am I just special?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry i haven't updated in a while... I haven't used my computer for a while, so i kinda forgot to upload more chapters ^.^'
> 
> But here it is! Enjoy!

Wednesday. What a horrible day, Arthur thought. Right in the middle of the week where one began to miss the weekend, but it would still be far away. Well, maybe two days wasn’t _that much_ , but it certainly felt like much when you were working at Starbucks. Arthur had considered quitting many times, but it was next to impossible finding work in New York and he didn’t want to risk becoming unemployed. That didn’t mean he didn’t consider smacking his badge in Allister’s face and yell ‘I QUIT’ at least three times a day. He certainly did. What a wonderful thought. It kept him going through the day.

There was also another reason why he stayed, and that reason had just entered the store with his usual shit-eating grin. Glasses-Guy was there, and this time without his brother. Arthur stopped the smile threatening to reveal his happiness as Glasses-Guy skipped over to the counter. It was not a busy day, so there was no line and few people in the store.

“What will it be today?” Arthur said, trying to sound casual. Had he succeeded? He may never know. Glasses-Guy seemed to light up at the question though - it made his eyes sparkle in a way that made Arthur’s knees feel wobbly. Not that he would ever admit that, of course.

“Well, I kinda liked the Vanilla Latte, so I guess you have good taste. Could you recommend me something again?” Glasses-Guy responded.

“Well, something that you would probably like is the Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino” Arthur said.

“Why do you think I would like it?”

“Because you always act like you’re high on sugar, and this drink will help you to the next level of energic annoyingness” Arthur said wryly. Wait. Shit. _Did he seriously just say that?_ Idiot, he was a complete idiot. Why did he cuss at a guy he liked? If he recalled, Kiku had called him a ‘Tsundere’ the last time it had happened, whatever that meant. But all his worries disappeared when Glasses-Guy threw his head back and laughed so loudly that some customers turned their heads.

“Well, give me a Double Chip Frappuccino, then or whatever it was you called it” Glasses-Guy said, still giggling. Arthur was dumbfounded - did Glasses-Guy really not mind him saying that? It seemed that way.

“Coming right up” Arthur mumbled, embarrassed. As he was making the drink, he felt eyes watching him. He looked up, and just as he had suspected, Glasses-Guy was watching him.

“Do you always stare at baristas, or am I just that special?” Arthur demanded, annoyed, and continued with the drink.

“If they’re cute I do”

“W-what?!” Arthur sputtered, snapping his head up again. Glasses-Guy was looking right at him, smirking crookedly with a raised eyebrow, waiting for Arthur’s response. A response that didn’t come. He was astonished - did Glasses-Guy actually say that? How could he do that with a straight face? Arthur tried to come with a witty response, but found that he was completely speechless. So instead he just mumbled a faint ‘fuck off’, before clumsily continuing making the drink. This seemed to amuse Glasses-Guy, as his smirk grew even wider. Arthur had probably just boosted his self-esteem a lot, because he was being way more bold than usual. He didn’t know how he felt about that.

“Name?” he Arthur grumbled.

“Indiana Jones” came the answer. Arthur didn’t have to look up to see the smile, he could hear it in Glasses-Guy’s voice. He sighed and wrote the name on the cup.

“Here you go, ‘Indiana Jones’”

“Thanks!” Glasses-Guy said, took the drink and walked to the door. Just before he went outside, he turned around and shouted “See ya tomorrow, Artie!”.

Arthur was so happy at the fact that Glasses-Guy was going to come the next day, that he didn’t even mind the ridiculous nickname.

“He really likes you, huh?”

The voice gave Arthur a tiny heart-attack. Kiku was always so quiet, that Arthur hadn’t noticed he had been standing right next to him until he spoke. Allister had once joked that he was a ‘real Japanese ninja’. Arthur was willing to believe it, because the stillness seemed unnatural to him.

All these thoughts distracted Arthur, and he forgot what Kiku had said.

“Pardon, I didn’t quite catch that. Mind repeating?”. Kiku raised an eyebrow.

“I just stated that that customer really seems to like you” Kiku said. That warmed Arthurs heart more than he would like to admit.

“W-why do you say that?” he asked cautiously. Kiku raised his other eyebrow.

“Well, it is blatantly obvious. You’re just being a tsundere”. That word again. Before Arthur could respond, Kiku told him that his shift was over and excused himself. That left Arthur without answers. He had to google it later.

***

_Arthur was on his way home to Francis and his’ apartment. He was almost running - he couldn’t wait to tell him the good news! Arthur’s mom, who had been in a car crash and been in a coma was finnaly awake, and she was doing just fine. He could barely put the keys in the keyhole, since he was shaking from excitement. He ran up the stairs, and… stopped. Even out on the stairs, he could hear noises coming out from the apartment. Suddenly all the excitement left him, and got replaced by dread. He unlocked the door as silently as possible, and sneaked into the apartment._

_As he approached the bedroom, the noises grew louder, and Arthur’s fear grew with each step. It couldn’t be. This was a misunderstanding, something was definitely wrong, Francis would never do something like…_

_Arthur reached the living room. There was a trail of clothes leading to the bedroom. Arthur started shaking. He picked up one of the shirts - it was the blue silk shirt Arthur had given to Francis only a couple of months before, on their anniversary. A loud moan came from the bedroom. He felt sick. Slowly he stood up and approached. Time worked in slow-motion as he reached out to the door with his hand, and in an achingly slow motion pushed the door open._

_Time stopped completely. On the bed, on_ their _bed, Francis lay entangled with someone else. Arthur didn’t know the person, and he didn’t want to. He had known from the moment he heard the noises, he just hadn’t been able to believe it. He was burning on the inside, he wanted to throw up, yet he felt completely hollow. Then Francis finnaly saw him._

_“Oh. You’re home” he said in that lazy accented voice that Arthur loved so dearly. He didn’t sound regretful, or even surprised. The other man looked over his shoulder, raised an eyebrow, and then pulled Francis into a kiss, which he returned. They continued as if Arthur wasn’t even there. It felt like an arrow to the heart. He was completely frozen, until Francis gave him an annoyed glance, and asked; “Are you going to join or not? Don’t just stand there and stare”. Yet another arrow._

_“W-what?” Arthur stammered. Francis rolled his eyes._

_“You heard me”. A cold bucket of water spilled over Arthur’s insides. That woke him up._

_“Why in the SEVEN HELLS WOULD I JOIN? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Arthur screamed at the top of his lungs. He was shaking, tears streaming down his face. He hated showing weakness like that, but he couldn’t stop - he felt betrayed. No, not betrayed, stabbed in the back. Francis narrowed his eyes._

_“What am I doing? Isn’t it obvious?”, he said in an icy tone. “Now, are you going you join or not?”_

_“Why are you doing this?” Arthur demanded in a shaky voice. Francis raised an eyebrow and sighed._

_“The same reason I have sex with you, of course” he said, his boredom obvious. That felt like a punch to the gut. “And… what reason is that?” Arthur asked, not wanting to know the answer._

_“Because I enjoy it. Is it really that hard to understand?” Francis asked, cocking his head to the side. “Oh,” he realized, putting on a mask of sympathy, “you really thought I loved you?”._

_Arthur felt the entire world collapse around him._

_“You… you never…” he whispered, shaking furiously._

_“Are you completely imbecile? No, I never loved you”, Francis said, slipping a French word into the sentence._

_“Then… why? Why - why live with me, why be with me all… all this time?” Arthur sobbed. Francis’ indifference was making everything a hundred times worse. Francis shrugged._

_“I just felt like it. I thought that since you were good in bed, I might as well live with you. That way, a bedroom would always be close. But judging from your reaction, I guess this is the end”. Arthur ran out to the bathroom and threw up._

***

Arthur woke with a start, crying. He hadn’t had that nightmare in months. He took a shaky breath, and lay down in foster-position until his breathing returned to normal, and he had stopped crying.

He thought back that moment. After that had happened, he had run away to a friend’s apartment, weeping his soul out. A few days after some of his friends got the stuff he had lying at Francis’ place. He couldn’t bear to go there himself. After that, he had lived with a friend until he had found his current apartment.

Arthur sighed, getting out of bed, and decided that the best cure for a nightmare was a good, long shower.


	4. "Britishness Intensifies!"

It may go without saying, but a nightmare is a horrible way to start the day. As soon as he arrived on the job, Arthur began sneering and cussing at co-workers as well as customers, resulting in him getting pulled to the back to do the work there. It was dull, boring work, but Arthur figured he’d deserved it.

A couple of hours went by, and then Kiku came to see him.

“Are you okay? You seemed to be in a very bad mood this morning” he asked carefully. Arthur sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I… I don’t think I am. I mean, I’m better now at least. I just… had a nightmare. About that day”.

Kiku’s eyes lit up with sympathy. He had been one of the friends who had gotten the stuff he had in Francis’ apartment, and he knew how hard it had been for him in that period.

“Do you have any idea why it came back? I mean, they stopped many months ago, didn’t they?” Kiku asked.

“I honestly don’t know” Arthur sighed. “But my best guess? That… that Glasses-Guy is really nice, and…you know…”. Arthur blushed and refused to fill in the blanks. Luckily, he didn’t have to with Kiku. That guy was a master of spotting potential couples and crushes, and he had probably figured it out some time ago.

“That may be a good thing. You like him, but the ghost of Francis betrayal still haunts you. You’re afraid to be in a relationship again. But I think that if you two give it a shot, it will be the thing that finally rids you of what Francis left you. Let you get over him completely.” Kiku said thoughtfully. Arthur felt a bit lighter after hearing that.

“Thank you, Kiku. I hope you’re right” he responded weakly. Kiku smiled a little.

“Actually, he’s in the store now. Would you like to serve him his drink? He’s staying in the shop to drink it today. I’ve already made it, so you just have to go to his table and give it to him”. Arthur hadn’t felt so grateful in a very long time.

“I’ll do that. Thank you Kiku, I’m… just, thank you so much”. Kiku smiled and waved him off, like ‘ _no problem’._ He then showed Arthur which drink was for Glasses-Guy, and sent him off.

Glasses-Guy was easy to spot, and Arthur was soon at his table. Glasses-Guy smiled when he saw him.

“A latte for Aragorn?” Arthur said with a smile.

“Yup, that’s me”, Glasses-Guy grinned.

“But seriously, Aragorn? Wouldn’t you be more of a Sam?” Arthur asked with a smile he didn’t even try to hide. Glasses-Guy’s smile faltered.

“S-Sam? Why?”

“Well, you look a bit more alike. Chubby with bright hair?”. Glasses-Guy looked at him with wide eyes.

“B-but… Aragorn is the hero!”. Aha. That’s what it’s about.

“So that’s where the names come from? Heroes? Seriously, who does that?” Arthur asked, amused. Glasses-Guy looked at him as if he had just slapped him on both cheeks. Twice.

“I do!” he responded, and he sounded so insulted that Arthur couldn’t help but laugh. He felt much better than just a few minutes ago.

“Hey, don’t laugh! It’s cool!” Glasses-Guy grumbled. Arthur forced himself to stop laughing, and put down the cup.

“Whatever you say, big guy”

“I’m not THAT fat!” Glasses-Guy whined, looking even more insulted than before. Arthur raised an eyebrow.

“I was referring to your height, though”. Glasses-Guy’s eyes widened, and he blushed so hard that even Arthur probably couldn’t have done it better.

“Aah… okay, yeah, um…” he stuttered, looking away. Arthur laughed again. Glasses-Guy looked even more embarrassed, and Arthur felt bad for him. He was very awkward himself, after all.

“Hey, don’t sweat it mate. We all make mistakes” Arthur said, and patted Glasses-Guy on the back. He looked up at him so quickly that Arthur made a small startled sound. Luckily Glasses-Guy didn’t seem to notice, as he gleamed up in his face and said; “Mate? Man, you’re So British”. His smile grew even wider as he asked; “Are we mates?”

Now it was Arthur’s turn to blush, and to respond the only way he knew; swearing.

“Fuck off, you wanker”

“Britishness intensifies!” Glasses-Guy laughed, not faced in the slightest.

“What does that even mean? Wait, you know what, never mind. I have to return to my job, so just drink your rubbish drink and get on with your life” Arthur said, and walked away before Glasses-Guy could respond. Classic Arthur: running away when he couldn’t win an argument, or give a good comeback. A bit petty, but a great tactic nonetheless.

He went to the back of the shop and continued his work there. He thought about the conversation. Francis had been completely forgotten, and he had laughed and talked with the Glasses-Guy for longer than usual. It felt natural and nice to talk with him; it was easy. Now, Arthur was actually a bit of an introvert, so it wasn’t very often he felt that way around a person he barely knew, but it was nice to experience that once in a while. Maybe he would even get to know him better at some point, if one of them had the balls to ask the other out. Arthur hoped Glasses-Guy would, because he certainly didn’t intend to do so himself.


	5. “Is that British for ‘I like you’?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the story! Hope you have somewhat enjoyed this

Glasses-Guy was visiting the Starbucks more and more often, giving the two more and more opportunities to talk. And many more names. Jon Snow, Daryl Dixon, Lee Everett, Dean Winchester, Joel, Ajay Ghale, and even Harry Potter were just some of the names that Arthur got. They had known each other for many weeks, yet he still didn’t know Glasses-Guy’s actual name. And he was too prideful to ask.

Maybe today would be the day he got it. Well, he’d thought that many times, but a man could hope, could he not? Glasses-Guy entered the store and strolled up to the counter with his usual smile.

“A Vanilla Latte, please”

“Let me guess - this time it’s for Captain America”

“I was actually gonna say Jack Sparrow, but that one is way better. Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t thought of using that yet!”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Patriotic, are we? And Jack Sparrow isn’t really a hero - he’s a pirate”.

Glasses-Guy gasped and grasped his heart. “How dare you insult _Captain_ Jack Sparrow? He’s awesome, and he’s played by Johnny Depp, so suck it. AND you don’t have to be patriotic to love Cap, he’s a great character!”

“Sure, whatever you say” Arthur said, rolling his eyes with a smile on his lips.

“Don’t get sarcastic with me!” Glasses-Guy said, and pointed an accusing finger at Arthur, who was about to give a witty response that never came, because a certain Scottish manager decided to interrupt.

“Oi, you can flirt with your boyfriend in your free time. How many times do I have to say it?” Allister grumbled, clearly annoyed. The statement made both Arthur and Glasses-Guy blush.

“A-ah, um, w-we’re not-“

“Does it look like I care? Just get back to your fucking work, git” Allister interrupted and walked away, leaving the two in stunned silence.

“Sorry about him, he… really has a temper. I should get to work”, Arthur said, breaking the silence. Glasses-Guy nodded, still shocked. And still blushing. Arthur could feel a smile threatening to reveal his joy at not being the most awkward of the two, as he began making the drink. It was only when it was ready to be served, that Glasses-Guy spoke up.

“Why did he say that?”

Arthur felt a slight amount of panic.

“Say what?”, he responded. He obviously knew that Glasses-Guy was talking about Allister thinking they were a couple, but playing clueless was the least embarrassing way of asking about it.

“About us being boyfriends” Glasses-Guy said, hesitantly. _How the hell am I supposed to respond to that?_ Arthur thought, as the panic in his chest rose. If he fucked up this conversation, he might fuck up any chance he had with Glasses-Guy.

“Well, probably because I always stall my work to talk to you instead” came the response. It was good, Arthur thought, not denying anything but not confirming either.

“So you’re not denying it?” Glasses-Guy said, looking up at him with a face more open and vulnerable than Arthur had ever seen him with before. And more hopeful. Arthur had to think carefully now if he wanted to keep this going, so he came with the best solution: stalling.

“We’ll talk later. I don’t want to end up getting fired, you see. My shift ends at 7 pm. Could you come then?”. This would give Arthur plenty of time to form his words, and prepare his heart. Glasses-Guy looked a bit disappointed, but also excited.

“Fair point. I don’t want you to end up getting fired because of me. I’ll be here at 7. See ya, Arthur!” he said, and walked out of the store. Arthur’s shoulders relaxed, and released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. It was 3 pm. He had plenty of time, but somewhere in his heart he knew that it wasn’t enough.

***

The time passed quickly, and before he knew it, his shift was over. Arthur changed clothes, grabbed his stuff, and headed out of the store. His stomach was filled with so many butterflies, that he felt he might throw them up. That would be a great magic trick: ‘The Incredible British Butterfly Throw-up’.

“Hey Arthur”. The voice cut through his thoughts. His head whipped around, and there was Glasses-Guy, smiling shyly at him, looking as handsome as ever.

“Hey” Arthur responded with a smile of his own. His heart was thundering in his chest, beating so hard it felt as if it would pop right out of his body. “Let’s walk” he said.

And walk they did. Aimlessly around the streets of New York in each other’s company, yet silent. A silence that Glasses-Guy decided to break.

“So…you didn’t deny it when the word ‘boyfriend’ came up” he started, slowly. Arthur took a deep breath.

“No, I didn’t”

“So?”

“So what?” Arthur bit.

“So you like me?” Glasses-Guy said, grinning down at him. Arthur prepared himself mentally for a couple of seconds before he responded.

“I do fancy you, yes”. Finally, it was said. There was a pause, and Arthur didn’t dare look at Glasses-Guy. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if he didn’t even like guys and was disgusted by Arthur?

“… is that British for ‘I like you’?” Glasses-Guy said, confused. Arthur felt irritated.

“Yes it bloody is, you goddamn wanker”

Glasses-Guy grabbed his arm, turning him around. Arthur couldn’t look up out of fear.

“That’s good, it would be incredibly awkward if my feelings weren’t mutual”, Glasses-Guy said in a warm voice. Before Arthur could even begin to try processing the words, he felt a hand lift his chin… and then lips on his own.

An odd warmth spread through his body, as he completely melted into the kiss. He slid his hand up Glasses-Guys face and grabbed his hair, earning him a smile against his lips.

When they broke the kiss, there was a long pause where they just stood and stared at each other.

“So…are we boyfriends now?” Glasses-Guy asked, with an adorable smile that was bigger than Arthur had ever seen on any other human. The smile also warmed him more than any other person ever had, even more than Francis. No, Francis couldn’t even compare to this.

“Well, if we’re going to be a couple, I think I should know your name” Arthur responded with a smile, and a joy he hadn’t felt in years.

Glasses-Guy laughed, and responded; “Alfred. It’s Alfred”.


End file.
